


1920s Style Loving

by CrunchySalad



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-05
Updated: 2011-05-05
Packaged: 2017-10-19 11:08:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrunchySalad/pseuds/CrunchySalad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Taisho era Japan and a young Byakuya is on the eve of setting sail for England. Yoruichi decides to give him one last night on the town before he leaves, but he finds himself lost and caught up with a certain yakuza.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1920s Style Loving

"Byakuya. You have a friend here to visit you." It was the only thing Ginrei said as he walked past the calligraphy room, on his way to retire for the evening.

Byakuya's eyes widened. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Those were never good words to hear, not when they came from his grandfather's mouth, and not when he wasn't expecting company. It could only mean one thing. Byakuya set down his calligraphy pen and got up, preparing to run. Unfortunately, Yoruichi was faster than him, and he felt the air knocked out of his lungs as he was tackled to the floor.

"Byaku-chan," she said, grinning in that way she did, "you weren't just trying to run away, were you?"

"Of course I was! I would rather die a thousand deaths than spend time with an insufferable fool like you."

Yoruichi laughed at that, but the noise just aggravated the situation. Byakuya started to toss and turn underneath her knee, intent on getting back up and possibly getting some kind of revenge. Yoruichi pushed herself off of him, freeing him even as she maintained some distance between them.

Byakuya shot to his feet and got into fighting stance, debating if he would get into trouble for attacking her. The woman had the nerve to stand there smirking at him, arms crossed over her chest.

"You look ridiculous," Byakuya, resorting to attacking her with insults instead. "You look like a Westerner, dressed like that."

"What's wrong with that?" Yoruichi adjusted the cloche hat on top of her head. She was feeling pretty smart in her new skirt suit, actually, imported from Italy just the other day. She frowned at Byakuya's attire, a formal black kimono complete with haori and striped hakama. The haori, of course, was emblazoned on both sides with the Kuchiki family crest. She grabbed the black fabric of it and gave it a tug. "Look at you, all traditional. Get with the times, Byaku-chan, things are changing in Tokyo."

"Get your hands off me, woman!" Byakuya slapped Yoruichi's hand off his clothes and stood up straight, all the better to show off his attire. "A japanese man should be dressed in Japanese clothes. You are an insult to your country."

"Big words from someone shipping off to England tomorrow. And I'm pretty sure your own grandfather was wearing a suit when I saw him before."

"Grandfather deals with foreigners, and has need of appearances and diplomacy in his line of work," Byakuya sneered. "He is an exception."

"Yoruichi, is that you?"

Both Byakuya and Yoruichi looked up as a slim man entered the room. He looked almost identical to Byakuya, only more mature, older. He looked something like what Byakuya would look like in eighteen years. The way he held himself was completely different, however, his carriage softer somehow. While the man's posture was upright, there was a small downward slant to his shoulders, while every part of Byakuya's body was held up high. And Byakuya never smiled the way this man was, with that gentle upturn of his lips.

"Sojun-san," Yoruichi greeted, bowing a little. She tried not to let it through, but mild concern still laced her voice. "How are you feeling today?"

Sojun laughed lightly at the question. "There's no need to worry so much, I'm not so fragile that you have to speak to me like that. Are you two going out to play?"

Yoruichi beamed. "I thought I'd just borrow little Byakuya for the night. Make his last night in Japan a memorable one."

"I'm not going," Byakuya said. He scowled as Sojun's hand came to pat the top of his head, pushing his ponytail down a little bit.

"Don't worry about us, Byakuya," Sojun said. "You've been spending all week with your family, it's not as though we'll begrudge you spending your last night here with a friend."

"But, Father-"

"I've always been happy that the relationship between the Kuchikis and the Shihoins has continued into the next generation; you and Yoruichi seem so close."

Sometimes Byakuya wondered how his father could be so oblivious. "No, I don't-"

"Besides, it's my fault that you have to leave this country. I can at least allow you one night out in Tokyo before you leave."

Byakuya stared at Sojun's small smile, at his soft, almost sad eyes. He sighed. How could he protest against his father's good intentions? "Thank you, father."

Sojun's smile spread a little bit wider. He patted Byakuya's head one last time before dropping his hand to his side. "Have fun, Byakuya."

Byakuya barely had time to nod before Yoruichi grabbed his arm and started pulling him out of the room. He normally would have protested, but he didn't want his father to think him ill-mannered.

"Don't worry, Sojun-san," Yoruichi called over her shoulder, "I'll have him at the docks bright and early tomorrow morning."

"It's fine," Sojun countered, "the ship can always wait an hour or two."

As soon as they were out of the house Byakuya snapped his arm out of Yoruichi's hold. Much to Yoruichi's pleasure, however, he didn't stop following her, his footsteps sounding by her side.

"Infernal woman," he said, "where are you taking me?"

"To a place you've never been before," Yoruichi said, her grin spreading from ear to ear. "A wonderland."

Byakuya's ears piqued at her comments. He knew he should be wary, considering how suspicious she was being, but he wanted to know what she had in mind. For all of Yoruichi's countless faults, she was never what anyone considered boring. And, besides, Byakuya rarely went out to explore Tokyo. Most of his days were spent in study or in the pursuit of worthwhile arts such as calligraphy and tea ceremony. When he left his family home it was usually for a purpose, and he was always driven there and accompanied by either his father, grandfather, or a few servants. This was, actually, his first time out of the estate on his own.

That didn't keep him from blanching, however, when he realized they had walked to the front of Byakuya's neighborhood. Right up to the tram that took all the non-live-in servants home for the night.

"Yoruichi," he said, feet glued to the stone street, "what is the meaning of this? Stop and send for a driver right now."

"Oh, but then we'd have to walk all the way back to one of our homes. Come on, Byaku-chan, be a sport and get in already, you're not going to get cooties."

With one huge shove Yuruichi pushed him into the open door of the tram. The front of his legs hit the bottom of it and he stumbled inside, eyes widening as he caught himself from falling. Yoruichi climbed in after him.

"Not so bad, yeah?" she asked, that wretched smile still on her face.

It was horrible. It was small and crowded, and smelled faintly of. . . something. The smell of common people, Byakuya supposed. And everyone was staring at him, as though commoners didn't have something called manners. A woman brushed against his elbow, and he turned to scowl at her, the force of his glare sending her a step back.

"Now, now, Byaku-chan, be nice."

The tram started, and Byakuya fell forward a little bit before grabbing the metal pole that stretched over the top of the tram. He held onto it as he looked out the window, watching as his precious neighborhood faded from view. He watched as the scenery changed from sprawling estates to small, modest houses, and finally to a commercial district. Tokyo really was changing, he thought, as he watched the few people still out this evening. Half the people on the street didn't even wear kimonos anymore, trading the traditional vestments of Japan for the suits and dresses so favored by foreigners. Coffee shops were taking the place of tea houses, and more and more people were eating the too-sweet, sugar-laden monstrosities foreigners dared to call cakes.

The tram had made several stops now, and still Yoruichi wasn't signaling him to leave. They rode past the commercial district, into a neighborhood Byakuya could only describe as dilapidated. He wrinkled his nose up in distaste. Who on earth would choose to live here? Luckily they weren't there for long, and soon came to a stop in front of buildings that were in better condition, though they were still run down and much too dirty for Byakuya's taste.

"This is our stop," Yoruichi said, pushing Byakuya out of the tram.

Once he was out, Byakuya let Yoruichi lead him through a labyrinth of alleyways and stores. The streets here were too narrow for cars to pass through and weren't even paved. He was sure that his socks and sandals would be in a wretched state by the end of the night. Strings of small Chinese lanterns, all different shades of red and purple, hung from nearly every storefront. There was also a surprising number of people, despite the late hour. They were loud and noisy, laughing and yelling with no consideration of the fact that they were in public. Byakuya didn't even want to know what kind of business they had, to be walking through the streets so late at night.

Yoruichi led him into a particular building, decorated just as garishly on the inside as the outside. Chinese lanterns of all shapes and sizes hung everywhere while fake gold ornaments decorating the walls and the countertops. Yoruichi said something to the woman at the counter and then they were both being led up a rickety staircase. They came to a stop in front of a door and the woman opened it, letting them both in.

It was a bedroom. Byakuya turned backwards to face Yoruichi, about to ask her what was going on. She slapped her hands down on his shoulders.

"Consider this my going away gift to you, Byakuya." Despite the smile on her face, Yoruichi's tone was somewhat serious. Byakuya couldn't tell if she was actually being sincere for once or if she was playing some kind of joke on him. "Today, you'll become a man."

And with a sly smile she was gone, jumping backwards and slamming the door on his face. Byakuya paled, realization dawning. This was the pleasure district. He was in a brothel. His hand rushed to the doorknob, but it was locked. He pounded on the wooden door.

"Yoruichi! Let me out this second!"

"Why?" Her voice had a mocking tone to it, and she perverted the words that Byakuya had said earlier. "A Japanese man should lay with Japanese women! You wouldn't want your first time to be with an Englishwoman, would you?"

"This isn't funny!"

But her cackling laughter was fading and Byakuya surmised that she was walking away. He stopped pounding on the door when he realized it was futile. Then he froze as fabric rustled behind him.

He turned, one centimeter at a time. The bed had a cheap pink canopy over it, so he hadn't noticed before. But there was a woman on the bed. She slid forward, the folds of her short kimono opening up a little to reveal her cleavage. The fabric was so thin that he could see the shape of her nipples on it. She had a coy smile on her face, and patted to the space on the bed beside her.

"Would you like to join me?" she asked, her voice a soft purr.

"No," Byakuya stated. "I'd rather not."

He felt like he was going to be sick. The girl watched, confused and a little insulted, as he made his way right past her and towards a window. Yoruichi was an idiot if she thought the fact that the room was on the second floor was going to keep him from climbing out. Or maybe she was fool enough to think her "gift" would be appreciated. He opened the window and swung his legs over.

"If you break our property," the girl said, frowning, "you'll have to pay for it."

Byakuya ignored her as he swung himself over, feet gripping onto a narrow ledge. If he made his way over, he could fall down into an awning. . . an awning that would no doubt collapse under his weight, but it would do enough to break his fall that he wouldn't be injured. He was halfway there, however, when a stone slipped out from underneath his left foot. He cursed the shoddy, run down building even as he fell.

There was a thud, an exclamation, and two bodies colliding onto the ground. Byaykuya felt hard muscle underneath his cheek. A man's muscles, well-built and defined.

"What the hell?"

Byakuya lifted up his head, his gray eyes meeting surprised brown. The man he had fallen onto was rubbing the back of his head as he stared at Byakuya. Byakuya's eyes widened. A foreigner? The man had deep crimson red hair that fell in a thick braid over his shoulder, but his features were Japanese. And then there were his muscles. . . muscles broader and more developed than what most Japanese men were capable of. Byakuya blushed slightly when he realized he was feeling them with his hands. And that he was pressed against a man who was, to say the least, extremely attractive.

"Hey. You a prostitute trying to run away or something?"

Byakuya bristled. He shoved against the man to lift himself up, wrenching a satisfying noise of pain from the redhead's lips. "Do not address me in such a degrading manner."

"Huh? But didn't you just fall out of the brothel?" The redhead got to one knee before standing up completely. He was tall. Much taller than anyone Byakuya had ever known. "If you're not a worker, you're a client, yeah?"

Byakuya glared up at the man. "Entirely against my will. As though I would engage in such a vulgar act. . . sex is the dominion of marriage, and I will not make a mockery of that."

A smirk stretched across the man's lips, and a gleam appeared in his eyes. "Or maybe the gender was wrong? Want me to lead you to one of the gay tea houses?"

A loud slap filled the air as Byakuya's palm hit the man's cheek.

"Barbarian," he sneered, before he ran off.

"Hey, wait!" The man called after him. "I was just kidding! Do you even know your way around this town?"

Byakuya ignored the man as he ran away. For some reason, his cheeks were flushed red and he was too embarrassed to be seen in such a state. By the time he stopped to catch a breath, Byakuya realized that he was completely and irrevocably lost. A flare of panic welled up inside him before he pushed it down. Kuchikis did not panic. Yoruichi would find him. . . in this sprawling labyrinth of a town? No. He would call home. He walked around, looking for one of those telephone booths that had been sprouting up throughout the capital. Only to realize that he didn't have any money with him. Besides, there didn't seem to be any phone booths in this town anyway.

Byakuya walked down the narrow street, ignoring the merchants who called to him from the sides. It seemed as though everyone in this godforsaken district was trying to sell something, whether it be goods, drugs, or their own bodies. He tried to be as unobtrusive as possible, but for some reason all the merchants gravitated to him, calling him over while ignoring others who walked down the street.

He finally found a shop that looked decently clean. He walked in, noting that it was a small restaurant. He walked up to the woman at the hostess stand, noting that she was more well-dressed than the people outside.

"Excuse me," he said, "I need to use your telephone."

The woman didn't even look up from the list that she was looking through. "Are you going to eat something?"

Byakuya paused, not sure of what to say. He was somewhat annoyed that the woman wouldn't just let him use the phone, no questions asked. "I don't have any money."

"Then you're not using our phone."

Byakuya stood there, glaring at the woman, but it seemed to have little effect on her. She ignored him until her next patrons came, and then she was all sweetness as she led them to the table. Byakuya left, not a little astounded by her audacity. Once he was back home, he would have her restaurant put out of business. For now, though, he wondered through the streets, going into stores that he thought looked worth stepping into. But either they wouldn't let him use their phones or they didn't have one to began with. After a few dozen stores, Byakuya felt helpless and hopeless.

He sunk down onto the step of some abandoned building, wrapping his arms around his legs and pressing his forehead to his arms. He was away from his family, in an area he didn't know. An area full of strange people who were unwilling to help him. He had no place to stay, didn't know where to go. He was a Kuchiki, he told himself, he could get over this, but the sloping curve of his shoulders and suspicious gleam in his eyes told another story. Yoruichi, that stupid woman. What he wouldn't give to see her face again.

"What do we have here?"

Byakuya's eyes hardened as his neck snapped up. There were two men in front of him, both fat and disgusting. They were dressed in dirty, threadbare kimonos, tied in a slovenly way around their waists. Byakuya's nose wrinkled up.

"Looks like the young master of some rich family's gotten lost in our turf."

"Bet he'd fetch a nice ransom."

The man who said that reached for Byakuya's arm, but Byakuya easily deflected it. He was trained in kendo and judo, after all, and he doubted these men had any martial arts background at all.

"He's a feisty one!" The man slobbered as he said it, laughing a little bit.

The man reached for Byakuya again, and Byakuya reached out to fist his hands in the man's collar before slamming him to the ground. While he was distracted with that man, though, the other man brought something heavy down onto the back of his head. The force of hit sent him stumbling to the floor. He looked up to glare at the man, but his vision was blurry.

"You didn't think we were going to play fair, did you, botchan*?"

The man brought the object up again, and Byakuya had barely enough time to dodge. A pipe came thudding down on the ground next to him, stirring up a cloud of dust. He was about to get up when a flash of red came out of nowhere and a strong leg came up to kick against the man's head.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Stirring up trouble in territory that belongs to the Sakaki group?"

Byakuya's eyes widened as he saw the red haired man from before standing in front of him. The man's rough cotton kimono had come undone around his chest, pulling back to reveal a large tattoo that curved around his shoulders like a bolero jacket. He was a yakuza. The other two men scurried away, and the redhead held out his hand to help Byakuya up.

"Geez, I've been looking for you everywhere. A kid like you could really get into trouble in a place like this."

"I'm not a kid," Byakuya said, but his words lacked the venom they would usually hold. His eyes were transfixed on those tattoos. He couldn't see all of them, but what he could see looked like art. Intricate, thick black lines wrapped together in a design, punctuated by splashes of vibrant color. The crimson red of a lotus flower, the golden scales of a carp. . . he had never seen anything like it. He wondered exactly how much of the man was tattooed.

"Oh," the man said, pulling his kimono together, so that the tattoos were effectively covered. "Sorry 'bout that. I guess a rich kid like you wouldn't be very comfortable with a guy like me, huh? The tattoos and stuff."

"No," Byakuya said, looking up into those brown eyes again. "I think they're beautiful."

The redhead actually blushed a little at the compliment, the color of his cheeks clashing horribly with his hair. "Yeah, well, I didn't think a kid from the Kuchiki household would normally be walking around the pleasure district by himself, so I thought I'd see if you needed any help."

"How did you know I was a Kuchiki?" Byakuya asked, eyes narrowed.

The man pointed to the emblem on Byakuya's haori. "The largest shipping magnate in Japan? Anyone involved in imports and exports knows that crest. You're lucky no one else recognized it and tried to kidnap you."

Byakuya scowled as he looked down at his attire, realizing for the first time how differently he was dressed compared to everyone else. Most of the people in this district wore kimonos, but Byakuya was the only with a haori and hakama over it. It also didn't help that his clothing was obviously silk, while everyone else was clothed in rough cotton.

"It doesn't matter," Byakuya said. "As soon as I find a telephone I will call my household, and they will send someone to come get me."

The man raised an eyebrow at that. "Yeah? And how's finding a telephone working out for you?"

Byakuya puffed out his chest a little bit more. "Fine."

"Well, if you're interested, I know someone with a phone. But if you're doing just fine and dandy on your own, I guess you don't need my help."

There was a smirk to the man's lips that Byakuya was sure he didn't like.

"As it so happens," Byakuya said, "I'm gracious enough to allow you to lead me to a telephone."

"Yeah." The man's smirk stretched into an amused smile. "Thanks for being so kind."

The man gestured ahead of them, and Byakuya took the cue to start walking. A large hand came to rest in the crook of his lower back, sending shivers through his body. But that didn't stop him from knocking it away, turning back to shoot the man a cold look.

"Just because you are handsome," Byakuya said, "does not mean you are allowed to touch me so freely."

The man's eyes lit up as his smile stretched into a grin. "You think I'm handsome?"

Byakuya's head snapped forward again as he fought the blush that was rising to his cheeks. He should have thought about that statement a little bit more before he had said it. Obviously, the man's idiocy was catching. The man was chuckling a little behind him, but seemed content to drop that line of questioning, for which Byakuya was eternally grateful.

"Name's Renji, by the way. Abarai Renji."

Byakuya didn't say anything back.

"You got a name I can call you?"

"Kuchiki-sama is fine," Byakuya replied, not feeling the need to give his given name to a commoner.

"Hmm. . . what about Botchan? Can I call you that?"

Byakuya shrugged. It was what his servants called him, after all, so there was no harm in Renji using the title. They walked onward, Renji telling him whenever he needed to make a turn. Renji would also try to make small talk with him, making statements about everything and nothing. Byakuya didn't say anything back, but the redhead didn't seem to mind. Eventually Renji told him to stop, and gestured towards a building.

"This is one of our houses," Renji said, opening the door for Byakuya. "So they'll have to let us use the phone."

Byakuya walked in, lungs quickly filling with the cigarette smoke that hung heavy in the air. The place was all heat and noise. The clash of mah jong tiles on small tables, of boisterous male voices and sake cups smashing together, all served to fill up the small space. Byakuya let Renji lead him to a desk, behind which was sitting a rather morose looking blond man. He looked up as they came to the desk, eyes shooting almost instantly to the emblems on Byakuya's haori.

"So you're into kidnapping now, Abarai-kun?" he asked. Obviously, he was more insightful than most people around here.

"Nah, I'm just helping the kid out. Botchan, meet Kira, our bookkeeper and the cashier for the night shift. He's a college boy, so maybe you can actually have a conversation with him. Kira, this is Botchan Kuchiki."

"I'm sure," Kira said, lips turning down just a little bit.

Byakuya looked Kira over. He was skinny and pale, with bags under his eyes. . . he also seemed quiet. Not exactly what Byakuya would expect from a yakuza. "Are you in the Sakaki group as well?"

"Officially, this house is managed independently. Of course, a percentage of our profits go to the Sakaki group, for protection and what not."

"And you ended up here after going to college?" There was open disdain in Byakuya's voice, but the other man didn't seem to mind.

Kira shrugged. "That's life for you."

"Actually," Renji said, his voice a hot whisper against Byakuya's ear, "Kira's sweet on the manager here. But you didn't here that from me."

Kira scowled at Renji, even though he couldn't have heard what the man had said. "Are you here for a reason, Abarai-kun?"

"Oh, harsh, can't I just come to say hello to an old friend?"

Kira just stared at him.

Renji, at least, had enough shame to look a little bit sheepish. "Can we use your phone?"

Kira sighed and pulled the phone out from underneath the desk. "You know, one of these days, it would be nice if you did come just to visit. No ulterior motive."

"Yeah, yeah, like you ever come to visit me at work."

"You don't have an office," Kira replied.

"Geez, always using logic and stuff on me. I just can't win, huh?"

Both Byakuya and Kira rolled their eyes at the same time. Byakuya reached for the phone. He grabbed the earpiece and placed it against his ear as he dialed his household's number. It rang, over and over, until the line went silent. Byakuya gritted his teeth and dialed again. Incompetent servants. Why weren't they picking up?

"It is late," Renji offered, after several minutes without a response.

Byakuya hung up the earpiece, that feeling of helplessness threatening to overtake him again. But then he looked up at Renji. Renji was staring down at him, mild concern written over his face, and a brilliant idea flashed through Byakuya's mind.

"You can take me home," Byakuya said.

"Kid, I'd love to," Renji said. "But I don't have a car, no one I know does, and the trams don't start running until morning. Wherever you live, I'm sure it ain't within walking distance."

Byakuya scowled. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be sleeping in his bed, not walking around this den of vice. "Then take me back to the brothel where we first met."

Maybe Yoruichi was still there. He was sure Yoruichi had planned some way to get home. . . but then he remembered that the woman had planned to keep him out all night. At any rate, she could call her household, maybe they would actually pick up their phone. . .

"Sorry," Renji said, frowning, "I can't even remember where that was."

Byakuya bit his lip, not sure what to do next. Renji placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off.

"Don't worry, Botchan, " Renji said, "it's not that big a deal. Worse comes to worse, I'll take you back to the trams once they start running. We can figure out what to do until then."

Byakuya nodded. It was true, his situation was not hopeless. "Tomorrow morning, you will escort me to the docks."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want."

"Abarai-kun," Kira said to Renji, though he was looking at Byakuya, "can I talk to you for a little bit? Alone."

"Yeah. Sure." Renji turned to look at Byakuya, who still seemed a little on edge. "Why don't you hang out here while I go have a conversation with Kira?"

Byakuya nodded and watched as Kira led Renji into the corner of the room. He tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down, only to have a coughing fit as his lungs filled with heavy smoke. Still, as he breathed in and out he felt himself become more and more centered. Renji was here to take care of him, and though the man was far from respectable he seemed to be honest enough.

Byakuya looked around the room, watching as men of various sizes and wealth sat together at low tables to gamble. Most of them were playing mah jong, and Byakuya went to take a seat near one of the tables, watching. He only had passing knowledge of the game. He knew that the workers at their factory liked to play it during their down time, but Byakuya had only seen the sight briefly. Still, it didn't take long for Byakuya to pick up the rules.

It didn't take long for one of the men to notice Byakuya. He was a fat but relatively well-dressed man, and he looked at Byakuya from over a thick cigar.

"Hey, kid," the man said, eyes amused. "Why don't you join us?"

Byakuya tilted his little chin up into the air a little. "Gambling is a detestable vice."

Byakuya's words sent a roar of laughter through every one sitting at the man's table. Byakuya frowned, quite sure that these ruffians were making fun of him. But then the man separated out some of the flat, wood sicks that the men used to bet with. Each stick was marked by a certain number of dots, and Byakuya counted about a hundred yen worth of sticks.

"What if it's with someone else's money? Come on, kid, entertain us for awhile. I'm sick of playing with old men all the time. Sides, Tsukigata here is just leaving."

Byakuya looked up at Renji, but the redhead seemed to be in deep conversation with Kira. Byakuya wondered if they were talking about yakuza-related business; they were talking for much to long for it to be only about him. Maybe he should give it a try, if only to stave off boredom.

"I suppose," Byakuya said, coming to sit in the seat just recently vacated.

The men shuffled and the dealer dealt the tiles. Byakuya looked at his initial hand and suppressed the smile that wanted to rise on his face. Luck was surely with him right now.

Three passes into East, Byakuya was the clear leader in points. While the man who had invited him there seemed amused enough, the other two at their table looked more than disgruntled. Not that Byakuya cared. It was their fault for playing with seemingly no skill or strategy.

"Little cheat," one man mumbled, as Byakuya won the East round. "No one's beginner's luck is that good."

The fat, well-dressed man only laughed, a loud, boisterous sound. "Come on, come on, he's just livening things up a little bit."

It was at that moment that Renji reappeared at Byakuya's side, his hand coming to rest on Byakuya's shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "Ready to go?"

Byakuya could sense as well as see the table freeze around him. The clatter of mah jong tiles all but stopped as the men stared up at Renji, animosity all too clear in their eyes.

"The kid with you, Renji?" one of the men sneered. "You been teaching him some of your old tricks?"

"Yeah. . . I mean no. He's with me, but I didn't teach him to cheat or anything, I swear." Renji held up his hands, but the men did not appear to be appeased. Renji grabbed Byakuya's arm and yanked him to his feet just as one of the man flipped the table over, sending mahjong pieces everywhere. "Run!"

Byakuya lost his footing a little as Renji pulled him forward, but stumbled into pace beside him quickly enough. He felt his bangs flying backwards as they ran through the small streets and alley ways, two angry men at their heels. Byakua would have asked what the hell was going on except that he was having a hard enough time just running and avoiding obstacles. . . how did Renji run this fast? But then Renji yanked him into a random store, and Byakuya watched as the men ran right past them.

They were both breathing heavily, and Renji's hands were clasped onto his knees. An old woman was coming at that, yelling at them to get out of the store, and Renji pulled Byakuya back out and into a side street. They could walk at leisure now that the men were off their trail, and Byakuya turned to glare at Renji. Only to see that Renji's hair had fallen out of its thick braid and was hanging in a wild mess around his face. It suited him, somehow, and Byakuya felt a barely there blush creep across his face at the thought.

"Explain," Byakuya said.

Renji chuckled a little bit at the command. "Well, you know, I used to be a little shit head when I was younger. I actually cheated those guys out of a bit of money, back when I was actually allowed to play mah jong there. There was never anything they could do about it, but I guess when they saw you were with me they thought they could make up something about you cheating and use it as pretext, you know? Sorry about that."

Renji flashed him a huge grin, though Byakuya was not amused.

"Geez," Renji continued, hands burying in his thick hair, "I'm such a mess. You wouldn't happen to have an extra ribbon, would you?"

"You should just cut it all off," Byakuya said, though he sorely hoped that Renji wouldn't. "You look like an ape."

"Aww, you don't mean that. The ladies love my hair."

"Obviously," Byakuya said, a small quirk to his lips, "you associate with women with very poor taste."

"Actually," Renji said, chuckling a little bit, "I can't really argue with you there."

Renji pulled out a handkerchief from the folds of his kimono and folded into a strip, then tried, quite unsuccessfully, to use it to tie his hair in a high ponytail. It would stay for a second, hair spiking out in a strange pineapple-like abomination, before the fabric would loosen and fall out.

"Shit," Renji said. "Hey, do you think you can fix my hair for me?"

Byakuya blinked as he stared up at Renji. Surely the man had not asked him to do such a menial task, did he?

"Oh, come on," Renji said, his tone teasing. "You rich folk are pretty good about keeping things square, aren't you? Think of it as payment for me escorting you around tonight."

Byakuya wasn't sure he bought that line of reasoning, but he decided to acquiesce anyway. "Fine."

"Sweet," Renji said, that ridiculous grin spreading across his face again. "Come on, I'll sit down so that you can reach. Can you french braid hair?"

As a matter of fact, Byakuya could. He cringed to remember all those times as a young child when Yoruichi had forced him to play with her dolls. The small girl had always been surprisingly strong, and whenever Byakuya had gone crying to his grandfather about it Ginrei had only chuckled softly and told him to fight his own fights.

"Yes," Byakuya said. "I can."

Renji looked surprised, but didn't make an issue of it. Instead, he hopped over to an empty crate that was standing in one of the side streets and handed Byakuya his handkerchief as he took a seat. Byakuya came up behind him, working Renji's hair into a tight french braid with precise, efficient movements. There was a ridiculous amount of it; Yoruichi's dolls never had hair this thick. And it was surprisingly soft against Byakuya's fingers. For some reason, he had expected it to be coarse to the touch.

Renji tilted his head back a little bit, his brown eyes meeting Byakuya's. "You know, it's really nice having such a cute guy braid my hair for me."

Byakuya pulled harder on Renji's hair at the words, although internally he was. . . not displeased.

"Ow, ow! Sorry. Not about you being cute, though, cause that's the truth. Sorry you're so offended by it."

"That's the worse non-apology I have ever heard," Byakuya said. "Are you always such an incorrigible flirt?"

"No," Renji answered. "Only with the cute guys."

Byakuya was almost finished now. He gave Renji's hair one last tug, satisfied when Renji uttered a small yelp of pain, and then tied it tight with the handkerchief. He gave the fabric a small tug, but it seemed as though it was willing to stay in Renji's hair for the time being.

His hair done, Renji turned to smile at Byakuya as Byakuya took a seat beside him.

"If you wanted to see incorrigible flirting," Renji said, "you should have stuck around after falling on me that time we met. I was thinking up a perfectly good pick-up line when you ran off."

"Oh?" Byakuya asked, despite himself. "And what exactly was this perfectly good pick-up line?"

"You must have just fallen from heaven, because you look like an angel."

Byakuya frowned. "I can only assume from that pick-up line that you have absolutely no luck in romance at all."

Renji laughed loudly at that.

"No, none at all," he agreed. But then Renji's expression turned a little bit more serious, though the smile on his lips and in his eyes didn't waver. "But, you know, I'm glad I found you after that. I know what it's like to be alone and lost in a strange world. You're scared but you can't let anyone know you're scared, least of all yourself. You've just gotta stay strong and hope you find your way back home."

Byakuya wouldn't admit it, but Renji's words resonated with him. That was exactly how he had felt, before Renji had taken him under his wing. He wouldn't have known what to do with himself without Renji.

"You've been in that situation before?" Byakuya asked, curiosity about the other man flaring inside of him.

"Hey," Renji said, smile widening. "I'm a yakuza, and before that I was a street punk. I've been in dangerous territory more often than I can count."

A sliver of Renji's tattoo was showing where his kimono was open, and Byakuya reached forward, fingers brushing against deep black ink. "Why did you decide to become a yakuza?"

"It was my best option," Renji replied, shrugging. "I'm sure things are different for you, huh? I bet you have a million doors open to you, just waiting for you to walk through."

Byakuya didn't have nearly as many options as Renji seemed to think. At this point in his life he only had one, and it wasn't even one that he particularly wanted for himself. But it seemed gauche to complain about his lot in life when Renji had seemed to have fared much worse.

"You know," Renji said, his tone of voice contemplative, "sometimes I wonder what life would have been like if I had been born into different circumstances, you know? One of those snooty, upper crust families. Hey, maybe we would have gone to school together. Maybe we'd have been friends."

"I would have liked that," Byakuya said, finally letting his hand fall from Renji's chest. His tone was sincere, but it changed as he continued speaking, lest Renji think he was growing sentimental. "For entertainment purposes only, of course. You are quite the bumbling buffoon."

Renji laughed, eyes twinkling a little. "Oh, come on, can't you just admit that you enjoy my company?"

Byakuya was shocked to realize that he did, indeed, enjoy Renji's company. The banter between them was quite refreshing, not at all like the conversations Byakuya had with his peers and classmates. Renji, despite being lower-class, was clever enough, and was more genuine than many people Byakuya interacted with.

"Do you wish you had been born under those types of circumstances?" Byakuya asked.

"Not at all," Renji said, without one moment's hesitation. "Other people might think my life's been pretty shitty, but it's made me into the man I am today. And I wouldn't want to be anybody else."

Byakuya nodded. He could understand the wisdom in that, could see the strength behind Renji's motivations. It was a way of thinking that was worthy of respect. Byakuya looked up, something down the street catching his eye. There was a familiar blond at the end of the street, and Byakuya watched as he ran towards them. It was Kira, the bookkeeper at the gambling house. Kira was waving at Renji, out of breath as he ran up to them.

"You two caused quite the stir," Kira said. He held out a cardboard box to Renji. "You even forgot this. You have to give it to your boss, remember."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Kira." Renji took the box with a sheepish grin before slipping it into the folds of his kimono. "Sorry for making you run all over looking for me."

Kira frowned. "Well, it's an important box. What are you two doing, anyway? Are you just going to sit here until dawn?"

Renji shrugged. "You got any better ideas?"

"Why don't you take him to your place and let him sleep until then?" Kira turned to Byakuya. "You must be tired. Why don't you go sleep things off at Abarai-kun's place?"

Curiously, Renji was frowning. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable suggestion to Byakuya, so he wasn't sure why Renji would be reluctant to follow it.

"Do you think that's the best place to put him?" Renji asked. "I mean, my living quarters ain't exactly what he's used to."

Kira shrugged. "It's a place to sleep."

"I don't object to the suggestion," Byakuya said.

Renji sighed. "Yeah. Okay. Guess it makes sense."

Renji and Kira said their goodbyes, and then Renji was leading Byakuya away. It didn't take very long for them to get to Renji's place and Byakuya was looking aghast as he took in the ramshackle apartment building. It looked like it was falling apart, wood boards and shingles falling apart all over the place. Trash littered the ground in front of it, and some of the windows were boarded up. Renji led him inside and through a series of hallways and staircases; this place, Byakuya thought, was a complete firetrap. Finally, Renji came to a stop in front of a door. He shot a glance back at Byakuya, laughing a little when he saw Byakuya's face. Though for some reason, it sounded a little bit nervous.

"Come on," Renji said, "it's not that bad, is it? I've lived in worse."

"This is a completely unacceptable place to live," Byakuya stated.

"Hey, it's got a roof and soft tatami floors. Can't really complain."

Byakuya frowned at the statement, watching as Renji opened the door. The door swung out to reveal that the apartment had a total of one room. One room, with three people already sleeping on the floor. Byakuya's head snapped towards Renji.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.

For once, there wasn't a smirk or joking grin on Renji's face. If anything, he looked a little bit embarrassed. "Sorry. It's all I've got. There are five of us living here; I make okay money, but some of these guys can't afford anything on their own."

Byakuya stood frozen in the doorway as Renji made his way inside. Renji slid open the wall to reveal a small closet, a short stack of clean kimonos folded on the shelves. At the bottom were two futons, and he took one and started to roll it out in an empty space on the floor. His hands worked quickly, his eyes focused downward.

"Sorry," he said again, not even lifting up his head. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "I've got nowhere else to put you."

Byakuya frowned, feeling. . . something tug at him. Something he couldn't immediately recognize. He felt as though, maybe, he had offended Renji somehow. Or brought up something the other man didn't want to think about. He didn't know, but he felt like he shouldn't complain any more than he already had. He removed his haori, and then Renji was beside him, taking it to fold. Byakuya removed his hakama next, and handed that to Renji as well. He was about to remove his kimono when he heard small footsteps behind him. The door to the hallway was still open, and he looked back just in time to see the tail of a rat scurry off. Eyes huge, Byakuya turned back to Renji.

"I can't sleep here," he said.

Renji still wasn't looking at him. "Yeah. I know."

They stood in silence for a moment before Renji placed Byakuya's carefully folded clothes on the shelf.

"At any rate, we should leave these here for now. You'll blend in better in just your kimono. Maybe. . . I don't know, maybe I can get you a room for the night."

Byakuya nodded, not sure if he should say anything else. Renji seemed to be in a strange mood. He followed Renji back out of the room and back out of the apartment building. Once they had gone a few blocks, they entered a small inn that looked moderately clean.

"Stay here," Renji said, palms out.

Byakuya stopped, wondering why Renji wanted him to wait by the door. But he didn't say anything about it, only watched as Renji stepped up to the counter. Renji started to discuss something with the man. Byakuya couldn't hear what they were saying, but they talked for quite awhile, both of them with stern expressions. It took Byakuya several minutes to figure out what was taking so long, and when he realized it he was almost ashamed of himself. Renji probably couldn't afford to get him a room; he was probably trying to negotiate the price down.

Byakuya stepped towards Renji and placed a hand on the taller man's elbow.

"Renji," he said, "I'm not tired anymore."

Renji stopped mid-sentence and turned toward Byakuya. He blinked. "Are you sure?"

Byakuya nodded his head. "I'm well accustomed to staying up late. I often take walks in my gardens late into the night; it relaxes me."

Renji smiled at that, and Byakuya found himself feeling relief at the expression.

"I bet you make up haikus in your head while you're doing it, huh?" Renji asked.

"Nearly always."

Renji chuckled in amusement. "You're like a little noble samurai."

They walked outside together, back into the pleasure district that Renji called his home. Renji seemed more himself now, which in turn made Byakuya feel a little bit better.

"Hey," Renji said, "are you hungry? At the very least, I can get you food. Anything you want."

Byakuya nodded. He had injured Renji's pride enough tonight to refuse him this. "Anything is fine."

Renji nodded and ran off to a nearby food vendor. Small food carts seemed to be everywhere in the district, probably hoping to catch the alcoholics and adulterers and just plain night owls who frequented the area. He came back with two fish-shaped cakes on sticks and handed one to Byakuya.

"You ever seen these before?" Renji asked.

Byakuya frowned at the sheer idiocy of the question. "Of course I've seen taiyaki before."

Renji shrugged sheepishly. "Hey, I don't know what rich people eat for desert. I always see you guys buying those fancy cakes in those foreign bakeries."

"Those overly-saccharine creations? Hardly." Byakuya followed Renji to a bench, where they sat down to enjoy their treats. Taiyaki wasn't Byakuya's favorite food, but he didn't mind them. The bean paste that filled them usually wasn't too sweet, and he always enjoyed the crisp texture of the very outside of the cake.

Byakuya took a bite of the cake. He looked over at Renji out of the corner of his eyes. And seeing that Renji seemed to be strangely preoccupied with tasting the treat, he looked over more boldly. The night was dark, but all the lights strung up everywhere in this town illuminated Renji perfectly. Byakuya had never seen someone like him, and that was excluding the blood-red hair that seemed to suit him so much. Renji had such a masculine strength to his features, from the conviction in his brown eyes to the defiant set of his chin. The man really was beautiful.

Renji looked over at him, and Byakuya quickly turned away. When he looked back there was a smirk on Renji's face, and it made him scowl a little.

"So, Botchan," Renji said, still smirking, "why do you want me to take you to the docks tomorrow? I thought you wanted to go home."

Byakuya was relieved that Renji wasn't going to press Byakuya on the fact that he had just caught him staring at him. All the same, this wasn't really a topic he wanted to get into. . . though he supposed he could offer some information about himself as a reward to Renji for taking care of him.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Byakuya said. "For England."

The smirk dropped off Renji's face so fast it shocked the younger man. "What? You're leaving Japan?"

Byakuya nodded, a little stunned at Renji's reaction.

"But I thought. . ." But then Renji sighed, and leaned back against the back of the bench. "You know what? Forget what I thought. It wasn't going to happen anyway."

Byakuya frowned at the despondent tone, but before he could ask Renji was moving on with the topic.

"So," Renji said, "what are you going to England for?"

Byakuya's frown deepened even more. "Our business is at a point where it makes sense to have a stronger presence overseas. We're expanding our branch office in London. Traditionally, it should be my father who would go, but he has a weak constitution. We shudder to think what might happen during the long sea voyage."

"So your family's making you go?" Renji asked.

"No," Byakuya said, with such vehemence that it surprised Renji. "I volunteered to go. If someone is to travel to England, it should be me, not my father. I'm strong enough to handle the voyage."

"Yeah, but. . . you're just a kid."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed as he turned towards Renji, speaking through clenched teeth. "I am not a child."

"Yeah," Renji said, holding his hands up. "Okay."

Byaukuya's gaze softened and he turned to stare down at his hands, folded neatly in his lap. This was for the best. He was a Kuchiki. He was capable of doing this. Better he do it than his father have to.

"Still," Renji said. "It must be scary. Leaving your family behind to go so far away. To a country you've never seen, full of people you don't know. People who don't even speak your language. I can't even imagine what that would be like."

"My grandfather will be with me the first year," Byakuya said, even as he felt his heart clench. His hands fisted in the fabric of his kimono. He was a Kuchiki, he told himself. This was his duty. He could do this much. "And, after I finish college there, I might be able to come back-"

"It's okay to be scared," Renji interrupted, his voice soft.

Fingers, brushing against his cheek. Byakuya looked up at Renji, felt Renji's palm cup against the side of his face. He felt his eyes burning, but he wasn't going to cry. Not over something as childish as leaving his friends and family behind.

"You know," Renji continued, "you're a really good person."

Byakuya shook his head, thinking about how demanding he had been of Renji up to this point. "I'm not."

"You are. You're amazing."

Renji leaned forward, eyes closing halfway. They were nose to nose when Byakuya realized their proximity, when he remembered to breath. He quickly turned away, a light tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"What about you?" Byakuya asked, reaching out desperately to grab onto another subject. "What's your family like?"

Renji's head was still suspended in the almost kiss, but then he snapped out of it. He leaned back against the bench with disappointment written all over his features.  "Not much to tell. My mom was a whore and I never knew who my dad was. Could have been one of countless clients. Probably a foreigner, given how I turned out."

Byakuya knew he shouldn't be surprised. Renji was from this district, after all, so the story made sense. "Do you get along with your mother?"

"I guess," Renji said. "I mean, she's dead, so we can't not get along."

At Byakuya's horrified expression, Renji laughed a little.

"Don't worry about it," Renji said. "I didn't even know her. When she found out she was pregnant with me, she took the usual herbal mix to abort, of course. Unfortunately for her it didn't take. When I was born she was going to send me off to a monastery, but then she died, so that was that. The owner of the brothel took me in, fed me just enough to keep me alive, left me to sleep with the cat in the cat's goddamn basket. Once I was too big to fit in there I slept in the fireplace.

"Eventually, one of Sakaki's guys took me in. He ran a gambling house next door, and he let me stay there in return for shuffling cards and cleaning mah jong tiles. I kept moving up in the group, and, well. . . that's my life, pretty much, in a nutshell."

Byakuya nodded, not sure of what else to say. He had already blundered enough times today to try to do it again. Instead, he finished his taiyaki, and waited for Renji to resume the conversation. Eventually Renji got up, brushing wrinkles from the front of his kimono.

"Hey, let's go for one of these night walks you like so much," he said. "I think I know a place you'll like."

Byakuya nodded, though he was doubtful. He had yet to see one area of this town that he had actually liked. He followed Renji through the twisting streets, surprised when they walked into open space. In front of him was green. A green river bank, and a small creek, dotted with trees. Chinese lanterns hung from some branches, but they were sparse, so the effect wasn't gaudy like it was in the town.

"I'm sure it doesn't compare to the gardens at the Kuchiki estate," Renji said. "But it's the prettiest thing we've got. Come on."

Renji led him to the creek, and they started their walk down the river bank. It was, Byakuya had to admit, pleasant. He loved the sound of the creek rushing over the stones, loved the hum of insects that filled the air. The moon's glow reflected off the water, and he could see stars caught within its surface. Eventually, he felt Renji's fingers brush against his own. He blushed, but didn't protest as they wrapped around his more boldly, until their palms were pressed together and fingers intertwined.

Despite what Byakuya had said before, he was getting a little bit tired. The walk helped him stay awake, but it didn't keep his eyelids from falling a little bit. His head lulled over to the side as they walked, resting on Renji's shoulder. It was just because he was tired, he told himself.

"Writing any haikus?" Renji asked.

They had been walking in silence for a long while, but Byakuya found he didn't mind when Renji's voice interrupted it.

"No," Byakuya replied. "I am not. Although I think you would be remiss is not reciting me one of your own."

Renji smirked at the comment. "Are you. . . teasing me? Does Botchan have a little bit of a playful side?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Byakuya said, though there was an upturn to his lips that gave him away.

"Fine," Renji said, smiling.

They came to a stop on the bank as Renji thought of what to say. Byakuya removed his head from Renji's shoulder in order to look up at the man, surprised to see Renji was already looking down at him.

"Here by the river, my only complaint is this: morning comes too soon."

Byakuya blushed as he turned his head away. "You do realize that a haiku is as much a piece of visual art as it is a verbal poem. You didn't even think of the shape of the characters when you were composing that, did you?"

"Not at all," Renji agreed.

Calloused fingers nudged against Byakuya's chin, forcing his head up again. Gray eyes met brown, and this time it was Byakuya leaning forward, bridging the gap between them. Renji's lips were parted, and Byakuya could feel the hot breath that left them with each exhale, could feel the heat of Renji's mouth so close to his lips. So close.

"Byakuya," Byakuya whispered, feeling Renji's nose touch his cheek. "That's my name."

He could almost feel Renji smile. "It suits you."

Just a millimeter away. But then something crashed into Byakuya's side, and he found himself stumbling away.

Renji grabbed onto his arm to steady him and Byakuya turned to glare at the offending object. A somewhat irregularly shaped sphere, made out of thick brown hide, lay on the ground.

"Misters! Hey, Misters! Can you kick back our ball?"

Byakuya looked up to see a group of little children waving at them. He frowned as he took in how dirty they were, how thin their yukata seemed to be. For the first time in his life, he felt a little bit bad about the neatly pressed silk he was wearing. He kicked the ball back, feeling just a little bit pleased at their excited exclamations of gratitude.

"This is a game I am not familiar with," he said, watching as they started to kick the ball back and forth.

"Seriously?" Renji asked, looking a little bit scandalized. "You've never played football?"

Byakuya shook his head. "My hobbies are endeavors such as kendo and calligraphy."

"Yeah, well. . . those things require lessons and supplies. Kids in this neighborhood don't have money for things like that. But football. . . I mean, all you need is a group of friends and a ball. Anyone can play it, doesn't matter how much money you have."

Byakuya nodded, watching as the children played. There was a joyfulness to their movements that he never remembered having in his kendo lessons.

Renji beamed at him. "You wanna play?"

Byakuya shook his head no, but Renji grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the children.

"Hey, kids," Renji said. "Mind if we join in?"

Before Byakuya knew it he was facing off against Renji in the little grass field, kids running around them. It didn't take him long to pick up the movements and the rules, but he was still a little hesitant on his feet as he figured things out. He waited as Renji came straight at him with the ball, readying himself to snatch it away when Renji feinted left. Byakuya stumbled to the ground, eyes wide open in shock. To think that Renji had actually bested him.

Byakuya got up, eyes on fire as he rolled up his sleeves. Renji had scored a goal and was coming back towards him, infuriated grin in place.

"Oh," Renji said, "look who's getting competitive."

Byakuya only narrowed his eyes in response.

For the next ten minutes, Renji and Byakuya completely dominated the game. They went back and forth on the small field, scoring goal after goal. Renji had more expertise, but Byakuya had more natural ability and was a quick learner. Byakuya had just managed to edge Renji out in the number of goals scored when the ball was intercepted by a little girl with pigtails. The girl glared at them.

"You two aren't allowed to play anymore! You're hogging the ball!"

Both men had the decency to look suitably ashamed of themselves before walking off the field. Still, Byakuya couldn't help but smile a little bit. That had been surprisingly fun. They made there way to the side of the field and watched as the children resumed their game. They really shouldn't be out at this time of night (morning?), Byakuya thought, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Byakuya became aware of sniffling next to him, and he looked down to see a child with a runny nose and flushed cheeks. He frowned and kneeled down, pulling the small boy closer to him.

"If you're sick," he said, "you really should be at home sleeping."

"But I wanna play football," the boy said, his voice nasal with stuffed up sinuses. The boy inhaled then, and before Byakuya knew what was happening the kid grabbed the sleeve of his silk kimono and sneezed right into it. He wasn't done there, though. After sneezing the boy blew his nose several times on Byakuya's kimono.

Byakuya was absolutely aghast. As the boy let go he could feel his now wet kimono sleeve hit his skin. He was sure he had an absolutely horrified expression on his face. And Renji. . . that idiot Renji couldn't stop laughing.

He was just a child, Byakuya thought. Just a child.

"We're taking you home," Byakuya said, through gritted teeth.

"But I wanna play!"

"Come on, Ayumu," Renji said, grabbing onto the boy and lifting him over a shoulder, "let's get you home."

The boy protested, kicking his legs and hitting Reni's back with his arms, but it was useless. Renji was already walking away from the field, and Byakuya followed.

"Do you know these children?" Byakuya asked, even though it was obvious that Renji did.

"Sure," Renji replied. "I play with them every now and then, buy them noodles if I have some extra money. They're good kids, you know? It'll be nice if they stay that way, in this neighborhood."

They walked back into the town, and Byakuya noted that some shops had closed, and others were closing. He had thought that this was the kind of town that never slept, but it seemed even it had its limitations. Though Byakuya supposed it was rather late into the night. . . or, to be accurate, early in the morning. People in other districts would have slept for several hours already by now.

Soon enough Renji came to a stop in front of a certain house. He deposited the crying, sniffling child on the doorstep and gave the boy's butt a good spank to send him on his way. The boy ran into the house, crying to his mother about the "mean onii-san." Renji chuckled as he turned towards Byakuya.

"So what do you want to do now?" Renji asked. "Not much to do here, unless you like gambling and prostitutes. We still have a few hours to kill before the tram starts running."

Byakuya looked up at Renji. The football game had energized him, so he wasn't tired anymore, but Renji had seemed fine all night. "Aren't you tired?"

"Nah," Renji said, smiling a little bit. "I work nights and sleep days, so this is normal for me."

"What do you do for the Sakaki group?" Byakuya asked, a little bit curious.

"Get into fights, I guess." Renji didn't even look embarrassed as he said it. Instead, his eyes lit up a little bit as he discussed his job. "But I only beat up the bad people. People who are causing trouble in our territory, and stuff. I guess you can say I'm security for this district."

Byauya nodded. He suspected Renji's job was less innocent than that, but for a yakuza that wasn't so bad. A scandalous thought passed through Byakuya's head then, and he injected a teasing lilt to his voice. "You know, I think I might like to try see one of those tea houses you spoke of when we first met. Just to look, of course."

The words froze Renji to his spot. He blinked a few times before he could speak. "Seriously?"

Byakuya shrugged. "Why not?"

It was a night of firsts, after all. A night of firsts, on his last night in Tokyo. The reminder turned his lips downward, sent his gaze  to the floor. Not too far into the future he would have to leave Japan. But at least, for now, he was here.

"Hey," Renji said, lightly punching Byakuya's shoulder, "why so sad? Let's go already."

Byakuya lifted his eyes and nodded. Renji started walking and Byakuya trailed a little behind him, still lost in thought. So he didn't notice when, a few blocks later, arms came out of an alleyway to wrap around his mouth and chest. As he was pulled back into the alley he screamed, but it was muffled into his assailant's hand. Renji, a few steps ahead, didn't even notice.

"We've been looking all over for you, Botchan." said a familiar voice, and Byakuya realized it was one of the men who had tried to kidnap him before. The other man soon came into his vision. So they were both there.

Byakuya struggled, but he was being held too tightly to do anything that would actually be effective. Working together, the two men soon had a gag around his mouth and ropes around his hands.

"What if we can't figure out what family he belongs to?" asked one of the men.

"We can always sell him off to a foreign ship. Some of them have developed a taste for young Japanese men, and he's definitely a looker. Bet we'd make a lot of money that way."

Byakuya glowered at the implication. He was not a good to be sold, and he was certainly not a sex toy. As soon as he had an opening, he would destroy these two men, and anyone who attempted to buy him. They half-dragged, half-pulled him through the alley ways, until they got to a small building that had boarded up windows. One of them kicked the door open and shoved Byakuya inside.

He hit his head against the wall as he fell to the floor. The men walked in behind him and closed the door, and made their way over to some cots in the other corner. As they started to talk about how they were going to make money off Byakuya, the young man scanned the room. It was empty of anything he could commandeer as a weapon, but that just meant the other two men didn't have anything they could use either. And the incompetent fools hadn't even tied his hands together tightly enough.

Byakuya started to work his hands out of their constraints. He had to admit it was slow going. They had tied his hands tight enough to make this difficult. His skin chafed against the harsh rope as he rubbed his hands back and forth, getting them out a millimeter at a time. But after several minutes he had them free, even if his skin was rubbed raw. He stayed in that position, though, as he contemplated his next plan of attack. . . only to have to improvise, as a familiar voice sounded from the streets.

"Byakuya! Byakuya!

"Shit," one of the men said. "It's that yakuza he was with."

Byakuya jumped up, realizing that he had to make his move. He tore the gag from his mouth as he launched a kick at one of the men.

"Renji!" he called. "I'm in here!"

The kick forced the man to the floor, and Byakuya sent his foot down into the man's groin. As the man crumpled into himself the other man came to grab Byakuya, but he was ready for their dirty tactics this time. He sent a back kick into the second man's face, then a front kick into the first man's stomach, all in one continuous motion. The first man groaned and rolled away. Byakuya used the respite to take care of the second man, sending a punch to his stomach so forceful that he collapsed, unconscious, onto the ground.

And then Byakuya's eyes widened as he saw the first man pull something out of the back of his pants. Black, metal, and gleaming, the barrel of it was pointed right at Byakuya. And it was at that exact moment that Renji pushed open the door. The man was bug-eyed, his hands shaking. His pointed his gun towards Renji, then back at Byakuya, then back again at Renji. And as though it was in slow motion, he started to pull the trigger.

Byakuya's eyes widened as he launched himself forward. He seemed too slow as he fell through the air, too slow as he reached for the gun. His finger tips connected with metal, and everything seemed to speed up again. There was a noise that cracked his ear drums, then the sight of Renji collapsing to the floor. Byakuya wrestled the gun from the man's fingers and viciously swung the butt of it against the man's head. It made a loud, disgusting crack, and then the man was out cold.

Byakuya dropped the small pistol and ran to Renji, who was sitting propped up against the door. He kneeled down, hands fisting in Renji's collar. Renji's breathing was labored, his eyes a little glazed over.

"Renji."

"Hey," Renji said, his voice soft. "I'm glad you're okay."

"You're such a fool," Byakuya said, feeling his eyes burn.

Byakuya had taken it for granted that Renji had been helping him. After all, people were always helping him. That was the nature of his existence. But now he realized that Renji hadn't had to do anything for him, could have left him to fend for himself. And then he never would have gotten hurt, the stupid idiot.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Byakuya asked, practically sobbing.

"I don't know." Renji grinned, a hand coming up to brush Byakuya's hair out of his face. "I think I have a thing for bratty rich kids."

"Idiot," Byakuya said, but there was no power behind the word. He leaned forward, his forehead meeting Renji's forehead. "Fool. Imbecile."

"Yeah, I get it. You've got a good grasp of synonyms."

"That's a big word, coming from someone like you."

"Learned it from Kira just the other day." It was meant to be teasing, but Renji's voice was so soft, so weak, that the joke was completely lost.

Byakuya leaned forward even more, his lips finally connecting with Renji's. They pressed insistently together, soft lips meeting chapped ones, Byakuya's first kiss and the one he was sure would be the most perfect. He drew away, slightly, watching as Renji's eyes closed. He could feel tears trail down his face, but he didn't particularly care about that.

"Hey," Renji said, opening his eyes again, "was that it or are you going to kiss me again?"

Byakuya froze, before he realized that Renji was perfectly fine.

"You moronic idiot!" He shouted, right before punching Renji hard in the shoulder. "I thought you were dying!"

"Ouch! Sorry, sorry, you were just so cute, I couldn't help it. Plus, it really did hurt, you know." Renji grabbed the sleeve of his kimono. It was dark with blood, and he tore it off the reveal the wound on his bicep. The bullet had only grazed him, but had taken a good chunk of his flesh with it. It would no doubt leave a scar and was bleeding profusely. Byakuya tore a strip of clean fabric from the bottom of his kimono, and used it to wrap the wound in a kind of bandage. When that was done he helped Renji up, and they walked out of the house.

"Guess I didn't need to save you after all," Renji said. "You seemed like you were doing pretty good without me."

"Perhaps," Byakuya said. "But I'm glad that you came."

As they walked down the street Byakuya realized that the sky was changing color. That strange color at the end of the night, foretelling sunrise. In another hour or so and the dawn would break. Byakuya came to a stop, realizing that these were his last few hours in Japan. In a few hours, he would step onto that ship and set sail for a distant shore. He wouldn't see Japan again for years. He might not see Renji ever again.

Renji had come to a stop next to him, and was looking down with some concern. Byakuya reached out, hand gripping onto Renji's sleeve.

"Renji," he said, hoping that he sounded more confidant than he felt, "before we leave each other tonight, I want you to hold me."

For awhile Renji didn't respond. Uncharacteristically, his face was completely blank. Byakuya swallowed, feeling nerves fluttering in his stomach. He had never done this before, wasn't sure his proposition had followed proper etiquette.

"Are you sure?" Renji asked. "I thought-"

"I'm sure." He had made up his mind, and he wasn't the type of man to go back on a decision.

"I'm not going to say no," Renji said, "so if you want to change your mind, you should let me know now."

"I'm not going to change my mind."

Renji nodded, a small smile appearing on his lips. "I'm glad."

Renji reached for his hand. He could feel Renji's pulse through his palm, both their hearts beating furiously. They walked down the streets with their fingers intertwined, before Renji stopped in front of a small store that seemed to be open.

"Wait a moment," he said, "I'll be back in a sec."

Byakuya nodded and watched Renji disappear into the store. As each second passed he felt anticipation and nervousness grow in him, making his chest light and heavy at the same time. Renji came back out soon enough and took Byakuya's hand again.

Byakuya knew that Renji couldn't afford a hotel room, and he knew that Renji's apartment was out of the question. So he was curious as to where Renji was leading him. Soon enough they were walking behind the edge of the district into a clearing. There were railroad tracks, and a grove of trees next to them. No lights anywhere, though it was becoming easier to see in the dim pre-dawn light.

"Sorry about this," Renji said, leading him to the grove of trees. "No one comes around here, so it's pretty private. And it's kind of peaceful."

"It's fine," Byakuya said.

"I used to come here all the time when I was little. I used to watch the freight trains go by and fantasize about jumping on one when it slowed down. Just ride it wherever it took me, travel all over Japan."

"Why didn't you?" Byakuya asked.

Renji chuckled at the question. "Guess I was too scared, after all."

Without preamble, Renji removed his kimono. He was only dressed in a white fundoshi as he spread the fabric of his kimono out on the ground. Byakuya could see now that Renji's tattoos extended almost to his elbows and across his back. He also had large tattoos decorating his thighs. One day, Byakuya thought, they would probably cover his entire body.

Renji finished spreading out the kimono and reached a hand out to Byakuya. Byakuya took it as he sat down on the spread kimono. As he did so Renji's hand came to the back of his head, snapping the string that held his hair up. A hand tugged in his now loose hair, bending his head back, and Renji's lips were meeting his for the second time that night.

At first they were just gentle pecks, firm meetings of their lips, just like the kiss they had shared before. But it wasn't long until they grew into something more insistent. Soon Renji's tongue traced over Byakuya's lips and Byakuya parted them to let it in. Their tongues met and explored each other, first in Byakuya's mouth, then in Renji's.

Renji's hands tugged at his collar, pulling the fabric of his kimono apart. Byakuya felt the cool morning air hit his shoulder, felt his body being pushed down onto Renji's kimono. Renji's mouth moved away from his lips then, traced a trail of kisses down his jaw, sucked its way down his neck. He'd have marks there, he knew, but hopefully they wouldn't show up until after he was at sea.

As each inch of skin was revealed, Renji's mouth was there, licking and sucking. Byakuya closed his eyes, wanting to concentrate on all the sensations he was feeling. Renji's mouth, so hot and moist, in contrast with the coolness of the fresh air that hovered on his exposed skin. His kimono was pulled more and more apart, until the fabric fell on wither side of him, exposing him completely except for the fundoshi he wore. He could hear nature coming to life around them. Birds, waking up and signing their morning greetings. Insects humming. But no people, no one except for them.

Renji was untying Byakuya's fundoshi, and Byakuya held his breath as it came loose. Now he was completely exposed, in a way he had never been before. He knew his cock was hard from the way it ached and throbbed, and now his erection was standing tall and proud in the open air. He gasped as Renji took it in his mouth, not expecting that at all. It was dirty. . . but it felt so good. His back arched up as he tangled his fingers in Renji's hair, messing up that braid. Renji's mouth was too hot, too slick, and the suction he was applying was too good. It wouldn't be long until he came. . . but then Renji's mouth was lifting off of him. His cock felt even cooler in the fresh air now, with the thin layer of saliva covering it. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to see brown eyes staring up at him.

"I'm going to get you ready now," Renji said. "Is that okay?"

Byakuya nodded, though he wasn't quite sure what that would entail. He had some idea of what homosexual sex was like, of course, had seen it in old samurai texts in the Kuchiki family library. But the practical side of it was something completely new. He watched as Renji reached for his kimono, pulled a small bottle from its folds. He opened it and poured some clear, thick liquid on his fingers. Byakuya didn't have to be asked to spread his legs, and he held them close to his chest, only to have Renji press the tip of his middle finger against the entrance to Byakuya's ass.

Byakuya sucked in a breath as his head fell back onto the ground. He could feel it, the blunt tip of Renji's slick middle finger. Could feel it press against him. He could feel his body tense against it, but Renji pushed insistently, until it fell in with a pop. Byakuya released the breath he had been holding. Renji was sliding his finger in further, and it felt. . . odd. Byakuya's cock was only half-hard now, and he wondered how this was supposed to feel good.

"Are you okay?" Renji asked.

Byakuya nodded. It's not as though it felt bad. He could feel Renji's knuckles against his ass, and it was an unsettling feeling to be penetrated in a place that wasn't meant to be an entrance. He felt Renji move his finger in and out, the sensation more strange than anything else. Eventually, though, his body got used to the repeated intrusions, so at the very least he felt more relaxed. At that point he felt Renji remove his finger, and something like two fingers came to press into him. Surprisingly, they went in more easily than just the one finger by itself, but maybe that was because his body was now more comfortable in the act.

After a long while, long enough that Byakuya had gone completely limp again, Renji finally removed his fingers. He picked the bottle up again, and squeezed some liquid onto Byakuya's hole. Byakuya cringed at the cold, wet feeling, but he was quickly distracted as Renji started to remove his own loincloth. Byakuya watched as the thin, white fabric fell away to reveal Renji's cock. It jutted, hard and proud, from a nest of red curls. The sight of it was enough to make Byakuya's cock twitch, hardening just a little bit once again.

Renji spilled the rest of the bottle onto his cock, and used jerking movements with his hand to make sure its entire surface was covered. Then he leaned over Byakuya's body, sandwiching Byakuya's legs between the both of them, resting his forearms on the ground on either side of Byakuya's face. He reached back with one hand to grab ahold of his own cock, and then Byakuya felt the head of it nudge against his dripping hole.

Renji leaned down to kiss him. Their mouths moved against one another's as Renji started to push himself into Byakuya. Byakuya cringed slightly as he felt himself open up, as he felt the head of Renji's penis fall into him with a strange nose. But it didn't feel bad, not really. It didn't hurt, though with Renji's hot tongue as a distraction, he wondered if he would have noticed if it did. Renji stopped for a moment, before sliding in a little bit more. Little by little, he made his way into Byakuya's body. Byakuya moaned into Renji's mouth as his slid in particularly deep, and the noise made Renji pull away from the kiss.

"Are you okay?" Renji asked, though from the unfocused glaze to his eyes, Byakuya didn't think Renji could stop even if he wasn't. "Does it hurt?"

Byakuya shook his head. Perhaps it was just the mental thought that Renji was inside of him, but it felt amazing. "Keep going."

Renji nodded, leaning back down to press a kiss against Byakuya's temple. He breached the last few inches in one thrust, and then he was fully seated, his balls pressing against Byakuya's ass.

They were both breathing heavily now as they grew accustomed to the feeling. Somehow Byakuya's legs slid from between them and started to fall back to the ground, but he lifted them to wrap around Renji's ass. He swore he could feel Renji's hot cock throbbing inside of him, pulsing with the beat of Renji's heart. It felt amazing. Renji buried his face in the crook of Byakuya's neck, and Byakuya wrapped his arms around Renji's shoulders. Somehow, even this was enough, just being joined together as one.

"So fucking tight," Renji murmured, into his neck. His words were breathless, barely audible. "I've never had a virgin before. It's amazing."

If he had been thinking clearly, Byakuya might have reprimanded that bit of minor vulgarity. But as it was he was too focused on the feeling of being so completely full. Renji's scent was all around him, and it was making him light-headed. And then Renji started moving, rubbing his hips in small circles, and that was all it took to bring Byakuya's cock back to life. Byakuya's lips parted and his eyes closed as he tried to commit this feeling to memory.

Renji pressed small kisses against his jaw, then drew his cock out, just a few inches, before pushing it in again. He did this, over and over again, thrusting into Byakuya slowly and shallowly. It felt so good, but Byakuya knew this wasn't it. There was more than this, he knew that much, and he wanted it.

"Harder," he ordered, "do it harder."

Renji chuckled a little at the words. "Never imagined something like that coming out of your mouth. At any rate, your wish is my command."

Renji lifted his upper torso up so that he was on his hands, and pulled out until only the tip of his cock was still inside Byakuya. Then he slammed back in again, pushing a breath out of Byakuay's lips. He fucked Byakuya like that, deep and hard, a good eight inches of cock sliding in and out of that tiny hole with each thrust. Sometimes Renji'ss cock would fall out completely before he pushed it in again, and it felt to Byakuya like his hole was being opened for the first time all over again.

Byakuya grabbed Renji's uninjured bicep with one hand, hard enough that his fingernails dug into the flesh there. With his other hand he reached down between them, his fingers coming to rest at the rim of his hole. He could feel where they were joined together now. His fingers could feel Renji's cock when it pushed into him, could feel Renji's cock as it pulled out.

It was almost too much. Renji's hard cock on his fingers. Renji's cock inside his hole, fucking him raw. The animalistic grunts Renji was making, the sounds of their flesh slapping together with each thrust. In a moment the noise of their sex was drowned out, overshadowed by the roar of a train as it rode by, shipping goods to God knew where. It reminded Byakuya of where they were, made him realize that the sun had risen.

The train and their fucking seemed to go on forever. But as it left, as its loud roar turned into a hum fading into the distance, Renji reached between them to tug at Byakuya's cock. He only had to pull on it a few times before Byakuya started to shoot, spilling creamy white cum all over his stomach and Renji's hand. Renji sped up his thrusts completely before pulling all the way out. He pointed his cock down at the ground as he jerked on it harshly.

"What are you doing?" Byakuya asked, almost too sated to speak.

"I'm about to come."

"Then come inside me," Byakuya said.

Renji's hand froze on his cock. He looked mildly surprised, as though he had expected Byakuya to protest such an act. "Really?"

Byakuya nodded. "I want your seed inside me."

Renji didn't ask any more, he put a hand on Byakuya's waist and shoved himself inside again. It felt amazing. Even if Byakuya had already come, even though he was completely sated, it still felt so good to have Renji inside of him. Renji thrust for a few more minutes before he grunted one last time. He held himself as deep inside Byakuya as he could and spilled his semen into the other man's depths. After he came Renji thrust into Byakuya's hole some more, fucking him slowly until his cock was too soft to stay inside. It fell out with a plop, a trail of semen and lube connecting Renji's cock with Byakuya's hole for just a moment before it disappeared.

Renji took a deep breath before laying down beside Byakuya, completely spent. He pushed two fingers into Byakuya's hole again, feeling the hot semen he had just left inside there.

The sun was up. The trams, no doubt, would be running soon. But, just for a moment longer, they would stay like this.

After awhile both men realized that time was moving on without them. They got up, got cleaned up, and went back to Renji's apartment so that Byakuya could dress. Then they made their way to the docks, a solemn mood heavy in their every step. Eventually they stood in an alley near the docks. In front of them stood great wooden ships, their crews up and readying them for sea. Byakuya could see his family in the distance, waiting for him. His grandfather, his parents, even that stupid Yoruichi, who was scanning the crowds with a frenzy that Byakuya had never seen on the young woman before.

"I should stop here," Renji said, scratching the back of his head as he looked down on the floor. "Wouldn't want to give your family a heart attack."

"That would be wise," Byakuya admitted. He turned to face Renji. Gray eyes met brown, one last time.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

Byakuya nodded. "I could say the same to you."

Renji grinned at the comment. "Yeah. You know, Byakuya. . . I'm happy that we could meet, no matter how brief our time together was. I'll always remember you."

Byakuya's hand found its way to Renji's forearm, and then they were leaning forward together, lips meeting in one last kiss. Just a soft press of lips against lips, but that was enough.

"Renji," Byakuya said, his voice soft, "thank you."

And then he was running, not sure if he could take a drawn out goodbye. As he got closer his family looked up. Relief and happiness washed over Yoruichi's face as she saw him, and she ran towards him even as he made his way towards them.

"Byakuya!" Arms wrapped tight around him, pulling his head into a soft chest. "I'm so sorry!"

The sound of Yoruichi apologizing was definitely something Byakuya could get used to. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, giving her back a few pats. He supposed he was happy to see her too, even if she was a fool.

"There, Yoruichi," Ginrei said, "didn't I tell you he'd be here? I didn't raise a grandson who couldn't take care of himself."

Byakuya disentangled himself from Yoruichi's arms and looked up at his parents and grandfather.

"Are you ready, Byakuya?" Sojun asked.

Byakuya nodded. He was still scared to be leaving, he could admit that now. But he was also sure that he could handle whatever was waiting for him in London. He said his last goodbyes to Yoruichi and his parents, and then he was climbing on board the ship, his grandfather right behind him. Once he was on board he looked back out into the city. He caught a glimpse of red hair, right where he had left Renji. Renji waved at him, just once, and he waved back. And then the other man was walking away.

Byakuya took a deep breath. The ship was setting sail. He could already feel his heart ache with the absence of everything he was leaving behind. But there was a whole world to explore, new experiences waiting for him. And he realized, now, just how exciting that could be.

 

* * *

* Botchan is a title servants use to call boys or young men in respectable families. Kind of like "Young Master." This man is using it derisively, but Renji will later use it affectionately.


End file.
